Means for feeding bagasse to roller-mills



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

Patented May 10, 1887.

'Fi'g l INVENTOR:

WlTN ESSES By his .flttomeys,

Nv PETERS. hula-Lnlwgnpher. Washmgwm D, C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- A. YOUNG.

MEANS FOR FEEDING BAGASSE TO ROLLER MILLS. No. 362,810. Patented May 10, 1887.

WITNESSES: RI v By his Attorneys, 0

" .1 o g f N. PETERS, Phma-Lmw n ner. Washm mn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

ALEXANDER YOUNG, OF HONOLULU, HAIVAII.

MEANS FOR FEEDING BAGASSE TO ROLLER-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,810, dated May 10,1887.

Application tiled March ll, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, ALEXANDER YOUNG, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a rcsidentof Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands, have invented certain Improvements in Means for Feeding Bagasse to RollerMills, (which invention has been patented in the Hawaiian Islands by Patent No. 26, dated June 1, 1885,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the automatic feed ing and regulation of the feed of bagasse and other similar material to the rolls of the mill, whereby the feed is rendered positive and uniform,whether the material be wet or dry, or whether it be fed in large or small quantities.

My invention aims to provide a feeding mechanism by means of which the bagasse shall be pressed-forward into the receivinggap between the rolls, held there a moment until the rolls bite on it, and then released, these movements being repeated at frequent intervals while the rolls are in motion. This mode of feeding prevents the rolls from rej ecting the bagasse and p revents the latter from falling away from the rolls entirely.

The essential feature of the mechanism I employ for effecting this automatic feed and feed-regulation consists of a moving feed-plate or carrier-,which stands somewhat in a radial position with respect to the lower roll and at a suitable incline. This feed-plate is arranged at the bottom or lower side of the feedchute and under the bagasse, and it is given, by suitable mechanism, an upward and down ward reciprocating movement, whereby its forward end presses the bagasse upward and forward into the gap between the rollers, holds it there for a moment, and then falls back to take another purchase or hold. I have usually constructed this feed-plate to form the bottom of the feedchute and hinged itat its outerend to the sides of the chute, leaving its inner end to play up and down; and I have usually employed as a mechanism for imparting an upward movement to the free end of the feedplate a lever acted upon by the teeth of the gear-wheel on the lower roll; but other similar constructions and operative mechanism may be employed as well.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Serial No. 194,895.

(No model.) Patented in Hawaii June 1,1885, No. 26.

Figure l. is an end elevation of a bagasse' mill provided with my improvements. In

this view I have shown the side of the feed- U chute removed and a part of the frame and the gears and rolls broken away the better to show the construction and operation of the feed plate. Fig. 2 is a view of a similar nature, illustratinga modification of the feedplate and the mechanism for operating it.

Let A represent the end frame of the mill, B the upper roll, B its gear-wheel, Othe lower roll, and 0' its gearwvheel, which intermeshcs with wheel B.

D is the feed-chute, which isshown as slanding at about the usual inclination, and E is the delivery-chute.

F is the feed-plate,which extends the entire width of the chute D, and forms, or may form. a bottom therefor. This feed-plate is hinged or pivoted at a, usually on a rod extending across the chute from side to side, as represented, and it stands, normally, as seen in full lines in Fig. 1, its lower end, I), standing quite close to the periphery of the lower roll, 0. In this arrangement of the hinging-axis a of the feed-plate with respect to the axis of the rolls, if the plate F be pressed upward, its free end b will be advanced obliquely into the receivinggap between the rolls and upward toward the upper roll, as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, which represent the plate in its c1evated position.

As a mechanism for moving the feed-plate F up and down, I mount in bearings in the main frame A a rock-shaft, G, and to this shaft I affix an arm, H, the upper or free end, 0, of which takes under the feed-plate F, as shown. On the shaft G, in the same plane as the gear-wheel O on the lower roll, I fix also an arm, I, which is provided with a Vshaped project-ion, (1, upon which the teeth 0 c of the said wheel act when the wheel rotates. As the wheel revolves in the direction of the arrow, one of its teeth 0 takes under the projection (I and presses back arm I, thus rotating shaft G and causing arm H to press upward the feed-plate F. This action of the plate forces the bagasse forward into the bite of the rolls, and at the same time presses it against the upper roll. The bagasse is thus held for a moment while the tooth e of wheel 0 is passing the projection d. IVhen it has passed the apex of projection d, the latter moves forward into the space between the teeth to the position seen in full lines in Fig. 1, the return movement being effected by the weight-of the feed-plate bearing on the end of arm H. Thus every passing tooth e of wheel 0 effects a reciprocating movement of the feed-plate F. When the plate falls back or recedes, the bagasse falls back with it, and at the next upward movement of the plate is again fed forward into the bite of the rolls.

I employ the teeth of the wheel 0 as a cam or cam device for actuating the feed-plate; but it will be obvious that a cam might be affixed to the roller-axis and operate on the projection 01 in the same manner as the teeth of the wheel 0. Instead of being hinged at one end, as seen in Fig. l, the plate F might be mounted in guides and arranged to move obliquely up and down, whereby the entire plate would move in substantially the same direction as that in which the free end 0 of said plate moves in the construction shown in Fig. 1. v 1

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modification of my machine which embodies the same principles as that in Fig. 1, but wherein the plate F moves bodily in guides, and the movement is effected through the medium of a crank driven from a spur-wheel on the axis of the upper roll, B, and a connecting-rod which is coupled to the plate F.

F represents the feedplate provided with a base, F, and mounted to play or move in guides J, which may be secured to the main frame of the mill. K is a spur-wheel fixed on the prolongation of the axis of the upper roll, B, and L is a pinion in mesh with wheel K, and rotatively mounted on a stud projecting from the main frame. This pinion carries a crank-pin, M, to which is coupled one endof a connecting-rod, N, the other end of which is coupled to a stud on the base F of the feed-plate. Rotation of crank M effects the reciprocation of the feed-plate.

I have shown two arrangements of the feedplate and two mechanisms for operating it; but I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to these precise means for actuating the plate, norto imparting the motion to it from the rolls. It might be actuated from some other source; but I find this the most convenient. Itis important that the feed-plate, at its end nearest the rolls, shall. move upward and inward toward the point where the rollers bite on the bagasse and then move back again; but the kind of mechanism employed for effecting this movement is not essential, and the number of reciprocating movements of the feedplate during a revolution of the roll may be curved upward slightly, and I prefer this form; but I do not limit myself to any particular form, so long as it effects the purpose sought, which is to press or crowd the bagasse forward to the action of the rolls, and to hold it up for a moment until'the rollers can get a firm bite on it. I

I find that the uniform and positive character of the feeding by myimproved mechanism results in a more thorough grinding or crushing of the bagasse, and in a more nearly equalized strain on the rolls and frame of the mill than where the material is fed in the usual manner. Y Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with the rolls of the mill and the feeding-chute, of the feed-plate mounted in said chute, substantially as described, and means for imparting motion to said feed-plate.

2. The eombination,with the rolls and feeding-chute, of the movable feed-plate adapted to be moved forward into and backward out from the feeding-gap of the rolls alternately, and suitable mechanism for imparting said movements to said plate.

3. The combination,with the rolls and feeding chute of the mill, of the feed plate ar-- rolls, substantially as set forth, the oscillating shaft G and its arms II and I, the latter provided with a projection, d, and the toothed wheel 0, whereby an intermittent mc vement is imparted to the said feed-plate.

5. The combination, with the rolls of the IlO 

